A Pale Moon Rises
by Tuscan Angel
Summary: Anastasia is a messenger sent to Mirkwood by King Elessar, who seeks Thranduil's aid. She has many secrets that have yet to be discovered when she meets a certain elf prince...
1. Chapter 1

A Pale Moon Rises  
  
Disclaimer: Anything in here you don't recognize, I own. The rest belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.  
  
Chapter 1  
  
It was a dark night and a pale moon rose over the trees. No stars shown to lighten the mood of the eternal darkness. A rider, hooded and cloaked on a stunning grey horse, galloped through the trees. They headed towards the underground city of Mirkwood, home to Prince Legolas. As they neared the city their pace quickened and the intensity of the night grew. An air of urgency drifted over the ground like fog after a storm. A creature screamed in the distance as horse and rider disappeared into the tunnel that would lead them to Mirkwood and the entity of their journey, King Thranduil.  
  


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Outside his room, Legolas could hear the sound of the gates opening and the guards yelling. "Who could we be expecting at this hour?" he whispered to himself as he stood from his chair. He placed his book on his dresser and pulled out a clean tunic, dressing as fast as possible. Upon opening his door Leglolas could see a cloaked rider jump from a massive grey horse and sprint in the direction of the king's chambers. 'This must be important' he thought. The elf prince abruptly sprinted down a hidden corridor that would lead him directly to his father's chambers.  
  
Once he had reached his father's quarters, Legolas decided to stop and take a breath so it would not appear that he had been in any sort of rush to hear the news. Before he even lifted his hand to knock, he could hear an obviously feminine voice come from inside the room, "...the western defenses have been taken my lord. King Aragorn of Gondor calls for your aid. And his majesty makes a special request for..." Legolas decided that he need not hear any more and with that knocked on the door and entered.  
  


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Whatever conversation that had previously taken place ceased and all eyes turned toward the door. The king, upon seeing that it was Legolas, drew a breath and resettled himself on the thrown. After bringing his full attention to the dimly lit room Legolas greeted his father and said, "I received word that there was an urgent message and was told of this meeting in your chambers." Knowing full well that he did not send any one to alert his son to the fact that vital news had been brought to his attention and that despite what he wanted his son would find out sooner or later, Thranduil allowed the falsehood to slide. "Legolas, this is Anastasia, she rides from Gondor with pressing news from King Elessar." At that moment, the stranger that stood before his majesty twisted around to reveal a pair of vibrant green eyes set under long, dark lashes. The deepness and intensity of her gaze captivated the elf. As he followed the delicated curves of her face with his eyes he noticed, under the dirt and mud left from the long ride, a slight dusting of freckles that lie across a faintly curved nose spanning from one soft check to the other. Her hair, cut off at the shoulder, under normal circumstances would have been silky and straight brown but was now mused and dirty from the long ride. "Good evening my lord." The words slipped past her lips as a gentle breeze over a field of flowers.  
  
Still concentrating on the beautiful woman, so called Anastasia, that stood before his father, Legolas nodded his greeting to her and said nothing. As Anastasia began talking again the elf was lost in a whirl of emotions radiating from her direction. Under a mask of strength, confusion, fear and worry Legolas could sense that she was sad, as one is in mourning. He wondered what had happened to her that would make such a striking woman so miserable. He was soon interrupted from his thoughts when Thranduil said, "Legolas, do you accept this charge from King Elessar?" Legolas had not heard one thing that was said, but just hearing the name of his friend he knew that he would get the chance to see him and thus replied "Yes, I accept this task." At that, arrangements were made for Anastasia to spend a day in Mirkwood and leave at dusk the following day, along with Legolas and a battalion of elvish warriors.  
  
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A/N: Hey! This is my first fanfiction, so no flames please. Thank you to my beta reader, Jack-Sparrow-Lover. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter...and I hope you will read more when I update. *smiles* 


	2. Chapter 2

A Pale Moon Rises  
  
Disclaimer: Anything in here you don't recognize, I own. The rest belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien.  
  
A/N: Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update. My creative flow is not as consistent as I would like it to be. I am glad most of you liked the first chapter and I hope this one holds up to your standards. Thank you to my beta-reader Jack-Sparrow-Lover for your revision help, and thank you to Katy of Domlando Blonaghan for your helpful info into LOTR. And without further adieu...chapter 2...enjoy! ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter 2  
  
Anastasia sat in front of the vanity that was placed in her room. Her now clean and silky brown hair flowed down her neck to meet the top of a beautiful skin tight, green night dress with gold trim and embroidery. As she picked up a brush and began running it lightly over her hair she thought to herself/What am I doing here? / Just then there came a knock on the door. "Come in" she said as she pulled on a crimson robe over her night dress. When she turned around a tall, thin woman, with a long, kind face had entered the room. She was withered with age and her long golden blonde hair hung in strands around her face. The woman was a servant named Flo (short for Floresa). She had come bearing a silver tray which held an array of foods that would serve as Ana's meal. "I brought your dinner miss. Would there be anything else tonight?" Flo inquired, the look on her face sincere, as she placed the tray on the hand carved, wooden, dinning table in the main room. Almost surprised by the earnestness of the servant, Ana replied, "No thank you Flo, you have done enough for me already." At that Flo bowed her head and turned in a most eloquent way, as if she was going to leave, but at the last second turned again to face Ana and said, "are you alright miss? Something feels slightly out of line about you, I can't quite put my finger on it though." Astonished at the boldness of the servant all Ana could do was shake her head. /is it really that noticeable that she could see it in my face? Is my secret let out? Am I going to have to go back to living like I did before?/ Finally calming her self enough to form straight, complete sentences Ana said, "No, there is nothing wrong Flo. Why would anything be wrong? Thank you again for dinner, you may go now." At that Flo, yet again, turned around and left, closing the door behind her.  
  
Now, panic stricken with the thought that her heavily guarded secret might possibly be out, Ana could do nothing but stand in the middle of the main room and stare at the magnificently arched ceiling. The designs in the molding were of forests and all of their inhabitants. As her eyes followed the molding all the way around the room the small plaster animals that had been carved into the molding all seemed to look at her in an accusing way./You have to let go .../ they said / you have to move on... tell them and be done with it /. At first Ana didn't know what to do. She had not heard voices like this since the incident, almost five years ago. She had thought that with time they would just go away, but everywhere she went they followed and nothing could save her from the torment of their whispers. / No, I can't.../ she thought. / What if they think I am some sort of crazy person and exile me? Where will I go then? I refuse to go back to the life that was before this. / "I refuse!" Ana was no longer thinking to herself but yelling at the top of her lungs to no one that could be heard by anyone but her. With tears streaming down her face in memory of what past had haunted her she ran out of her room and down the hall. She had to run, the only way to get ride of the voices is to run. Still in her night dress and robe Ana ran full speed through the halls of Mirkwood and straight to the stables where her beloved Orion, the only one she could every trust, would be standing waiting for her.  
  
Orion. The only one she could trust, who wouldn't judge her, who wouldn't abandon her, who wouldn't hurt her. A gelding, he was six feet at the shoulder and heavily muscled throughout the body. His long silvery mane flowed down his neck to meet a flat, solid back and his tail was a long silvery grey. His coat, a brilliant white, was covered in light and dark grey dapples that gave him a magnificence that left all others behind. Just the sight of him made Ana feel better. With the tears still warm and streaming down her face she approached her friend. At the sight of her he whinnied quietly and nuzzled his soft nose in her chest. As she ran her hands up and down his enormous head she explained, "I have to get out of here Orion. We can not stay. We are not safe here." Since they were infants, Ana and Orion had been together. They had grown up together and had a level of understanding that by far surpassed any level that had ever been. It was as if they could actually speak to each other. He knew every mood, every movement. She knew every flinch, every tail swish and every ear twitch. They could almost read each others minds and because of that Orion understood that they would have to leave the warm stable and venture out into the cold and treacherous night.  
  
As Orion turned to leave his stall so Ana could mount up the barn doors flew open, as if a huge gust of wind had just come down from the north and threatened to take down everything in its path. Standing in the door way was Legolas, a look of concern on his face. He had followed Ana into the stables from her room. He had heard her screaming and thought he should see what was going on. He wanted to help but he was too late for once he stepped inside the doorway Ana was already mounted and Orion was galloping full speed and heading straight for Legolas. He did not know what was wrong but as he played chicken with this massive horse as he looked into its riders very distressed green eyes and found that there was something else about this girl that had come from Minas Tirith, a torcher that would not cease. While all of this was going on Legolas had almost forgotten that this girl that he was so concerned about was riding an enormous horse and heading straight for him. He jumped out of the way at the last second and watched as horse and rider galloped out through the tunnel that would lead them into Mirkwood forest.  
  
Knowing the dangers of Mirkwood forest, Legolas decided to follow Anastasia to see if he could at least bring her back to the safety of the Palace. Between the orcs and giant spiders a woman had no business being out in the forest at night .There was no telling what might happen if she was allowed to go out alone at this hour. In his haste he jumped on the nearest horse he could get to, which just so happened to be Arod. A beautiful white gelding with a long flowing mane and tail. Once on his beloved friend, Legolas whispered something in elvish and the two of them were out the door, close on the trail of Ana and Orion.  
  
Even though it was night, the forest was lit as clear as if it were day. The sharp, black silhouettes of the trees pierced the sky and the ground was covered in a silver mist that gave the entire forest a feeling of enchantment. As Orion sped along Ana, whose eyes were welled with tears so she could no longer see, heard the hoof beats of Arod quickly coming up behind her. /Oh no! / She thought as she nudged Orion into a speed that he had never reached before. It was as if he was flying rather than running, though they were fading she could still hear the beats. They mingled with the voices that besieged her. /just tell them...thud, thud, thud...you have to let go/ came the whisper from inside her head. She tried to keep out the sound by covering her ears but to no avail. She could still hear the voices and not only did covering her ears not help but she was beginning to slide off the side of her horse as well. With all of his efforts to keep her on his back Orion could no longer prevent the inevitable. All of a sudden the ground came up very quickly and Ana found herself face first in the rich, soft dirt of the Mirkwood forest floor. When she finally cleared her vision Ana could see that she was in a clearing. Orion was no were to be seen and she had no desire to stand. So she sat on the forest floor and began rocking back and forth saying, "Leave me alone! Just leave me alone! Go away! Why can't you just go away?!" Again the tears came in a single, clean track that flowed down her dirt covered face to land in the fertile earth below.  
  
With his elf ears, Legolas knew that something must be wrong. The hoof beats were out of his range but he could clearly hear someone speaking. He decided to slow his horse to a walk and come up quietly as not to startle anyone or anything that might be ahead. When he was in eyes view of Ana he could see that she needed help so he dismounted his horse and said, "Arod, keep watch, I will be right back.." and with that walked into the clearing behind the now standing Ana. She had heard someone come up behind her but was not sure who it was. She silenced her sobbing, though the tears still came, only long enough to attempt to swing her arm around and catch her stalker on the side of the head. To her frightened surprise she was blocked and met with a pair of crystal blue eyes. She was lost in their deepness and could not seem to direct her gaze else where. With his body pressed against hers, Legolas looked into Ana's bright green eyes and saw a growing fear that came from more than being left alone in the forest. Legolas could feel her tremble in his grasp but he dare not loosen his grip on her arms for she might try to fight again. Once more he looked into her eyes and saw the same fear that was there before. Her eyes searched his face franticly as if looking for help. The fear grew and when the most intense part was over her body went limp in his grasp.  
  
Knowing that Mirkwood forest was not the best place to be at night, Legolas picked up Ana's limp body and began walking back toward where Arod had been standing, waiting for his master's return. But upon returning to where he had left one horse, the prince now found two. Orion, the monstrous horse that Ana had been riding had come to see that his mistress was being taken care of. "It's okay, boy. She will be alright." Legolas said to the massive horse. He then proceeded to lift Ana's body onto Arod's back and then mounted up himself, placing her in front of him so he could be sure that she would not fall. Resting her head on his chest and carefully placing his arms around her so he would not disturb her sleep, Legolas said quietly, "Lets go home Arod." And with that the two horses turned and started quickly back to the Palace where, the prince hoped, he would be able to get some answers. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
She was running through the forest. The branches seemed to almost reach out and try to grab her as she would tear herself free from their grasp. What Ana was running from she did not know but it was apparent that she was not getting very far. It was almost like she was running in place. All of a sudden she heard a voice say,  
  
"You need to run Ana, of the Tarbek, run fast."  
  
Out of no where a shapeless, faceless form came into view. Despite the lack of face and shape she knew exactly who it was and just the thought of it made a chill run up her spine. She shuddered and grew intensely nervous. At this point she began to run backwards trying desperately to get away from the advancing creature. Suddenly her body tensed and she found herself unable to move regardless of her struggling she could not free herself from the grip this monster had on her.  
  
"Let me go!!!" she screamed tears of fear running down her face. "Leave me alone! Why wont you leave me be?!"  
  
"If you tell them they will kill you." The voice said in reply, its icy coolness causing a chill to run up Ana's spine.  
  
Then, just as suddenly as the form appeared it had vanished leaving Ana in mid air. Everything went dark and the only thing that Ana could make out was the white night dress she was wearing. Her mother used to wear one just like it before... just the thought brought tears back to her eyes and she began to weep again. As this happened she began to fall. Ana had no idea what was going on, all she knew was that she was in trouble. She began to grab furiously at her utterly blank surroundings, hoping to grab hold of something that could keep her from falling. Noticing that she was lashing out at nothing but air she began to panic. She could feel her heart beating heavily in her chest and beads of sweat began to slide down her face. Amongst the rushing of air that was all around her ears picked up a faint noise in the distance. As she fell into the darkness faster and faster the noise grew louder until it was almost booming in hear ears.  
  
"If you tell them they will kill you, but it is the only way..."  
  
The voice trailed off again. Now in a complete panic Ana didn't know what to do. Her head was spinning and there was no one to help her. Tears were streaming down her face as she fell downward into the surrounding darkness where her screams were enveloped by the enclosing abyss. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* Ana shot up in her bed, cold sweat running down her face and back. Her hair was soaked and she was breathing heavily.  
  
"Damn it! Why won't you leave me alone?" She said to herself as she realized she was not in her room or her bed for that matter.  
  
This did nothing but upset her more, for the last thing she remembered was being out in the woods and a bright pair of deep blue eyes. There was a light coming from a corner of the room. As she slowly turned her head to see where it was coming from she noticed the room she was in was quite decorative.  
  
There is no way this room is a guest room. It is way to fancy. She thought, noticing the large hand carved wooden desk and finely stenciled bordering that encircled the room.  
  
As her eyes continued their search of the room they came across a pair of boots on the ground that did not belong to Ana. Her eyes followed up the boots to a pair of perfectly formed legs in green, skin tight leggings. She swallowed hard as she continued up the legs and to a wonderfully muscular, bare chest where, at the shoulder, met silky golden hair that shimmered in the candle light. Stopping there she realized who it was without even having looked at his face. In a moment of panic a flood of questions entered her mind. Oh my god! How did I end up in his room?! How am I going to get out with him noticing me?! Making her mind fall quiet for a single moment she heard a faint almost purring noise. It was coming from the direction of Legolas's unmoving body. From the chair in the corner where he sat Ana could hear the elf prince lightly snoring. That's right. Elves sleep with their eyes open. How could I have forgotten? As these notions passed through her mind she looked into the elves eye and saw the same blue deepness that she remembered from the woods. He must have seen me fall and come to help me up. I probably passed out and he brought me here so I could rest. But why would he not bring me to the infirmary? Oh no... not him too ...I have to get out of here!  
  
Slowly she eased her body out from under the sheets of the feather soft bed and as quietly as she could began to cross the room to get to the door. Just as Ana made her way across the shadow encased room Legolas stirred and she froze in her tracks. Oh crap. She thought as she watched him change positions uncomfortably in his chair. When his actions ceased Ana slowly made the rest of the way across the room. When she got to the door she glanced back at the chair one last time just to make sure that the elf prince was still sound asleep, only to find that he was no longer in the chair. Franticly she searched the room, her eyes catching the flickers of shadows that were cast by the single candle that was lit in the corner. Suddenly she felt a presence come from behind her and she froze. Legolas had awoken and crept from his chair so quietly and quickly that Ana did not acknowledge his presence until that moment. In a flash of panic her breathing became heavy and her heart started to race.  
  
Sensing her uneasiness Legolas reached out and caressed her arm gently, hoping to let her know that he was not going to hurt her. His touch was soothing and Ana felt relieved. She took one final deep breath and calmed down. As she turned to face him she tried to think of what to say. Not being able to come up with anything when she finally turned all the way around all Ana could do was stare at the floor. Legolas, wanting to know what her story was, reached out his hand and lifted her chin until she was looking him in the eye. "I will not hurt you my lady. I know you must be slightly confused but I will explain everything. Right now I think you should tell me what is going on. I heard you in the forest and I heard you when you awoke earlier. Who is hurting you?"  
  
The flood of questions caught her off guard. Tears began to well in her eyes and she knew what she had to do. I have to tell him. There is no other way out and if I am going to die then I might as well get it over with now. Her emotions over took her and the tears poured down her face. Perceiving that this was no simple matter Legolas wrapped his arm around Ana's shoulders and led her over to the bed where they sat down.  
  
"This isn't easy for me to talk about" she managed to squeeze out between sobs. "But I feel I have no other choice than to speak up and face the consequences. Before the War of the Ring, my family and I were part of a gypsy caravan that roamed the plains of middle earth. We worked for King Théoden of Rohan, scouting the plains for orcs and reporting back to him about what we found." This was the first time she had spoken of this incident with any person. Looking at Legolas she noticed the he was listening intently and his bright blue eyes, the flickered in the candle light, held a great deal of concern. Though it was tough she pressed on.  
  
"One day my father and brother had returned from surveying a near by forest while the rest of the group stayed back at camp and prepared dinner." She could feel her hands begin to shake. Legolas also noticed and took her hands in his hoping to comfort her. "When my father and brother returned my father was acting very bazaar and I did not know what was going on, so when he brought my mother into our tent I was eves dropping out side. I over heard my father telling my mother that he had found the one ring." Legolas's eyes widened. He knew of the one ring of which she spoke, in earlier years he had aided in the destruction of it. He continued to listen as she readily poured her heart out to him,  
  
"From that moment on I wanted to see the infamous ring. So that night I laid awake in my bed waiting for everyone to go to sleep. Once they were all tucked in I got up and walked over to the chair where my father had kept his clothes and went through his pockets. I found the ring in one of the pockets of his coat. I looked at it and the mysterious powers of the ring over took me. When I closed my eyes I could see the eye. I could hear him...he was telling me that they were all against me and that I could not allow them to take the ring from me." At this point Ana stopped and closed her eyes in the terrible memory of the life she had before. She put her faced her head toward the ground and when she looked up again her eyes were red and puffy from crying and her entire face glistened in the candle light from the warm tears running down her cheeks. Between sobs she managed to continue with the telling of her story.  
  
"He gave me instructions, a way to keep any of them from getting to ring...He told me to kill all of them and being held by the awesome powers of the ring and the commanding voice of the eye I did it...I killed my family!" Now Ana burst out in tears, she could no longer hold them back and she turned and collapsed onto the bed and cried into the soft feather pillow.  
  
Legolas was in shock. He knew of the terrible powers of the ring and the horrible things it could make someone do. He felt awful for Ana. How could she have lived this long with out telling anyone and with out going mad, he asked himself. Then it hit him. She had been screaming at no one in the palace and in the woods. This must have been killing her...the poor, poor girl but she couldn't help it...it was the ring...she could not have known what it was going to make her do. After arguing with himself over the topic for a while Legolas decided that it would be best if they just kept this between them so she would not have to go through the whole memory of it again. He leaned over Ana and kissed her cheek.  
  
"It is alright my lady, you could not have helped it. The ring is treacherous and will make even the strong willed mind go against the better judgment." She still did not look at him so he rubbed her back in an attempt to comfort her. Sensing his sympathy toward her, Ana turned her tear streaked face toward his. As Legolas looked into her brilliant green eyes, he saw a hope that was not there before, a trust that was missing but had now been revealed.  
  
"I won't let anything happen to you my lady, never again will the shadows of old darken your spirits...not while I am here." A small smile crossed her lips and she knew that everything would be all right.  
  
Just then there was a knock at the door. They both fell silent and looked in the direction at each other. Who could be here now?! Legolas stood from the bed and went to the door. He cracked it just enough so he could stick his head out into the hallway and converse briefly with the noble who stood just outside the doorway. Ana looked on in curiosity wondering what was going on. For a moment her mind drifted. He actually believes me. Maybe I can trust him. As she forced herself to focus back on reality she saw Legolas close the door and come back over to the bed.  
  
"That was one of my father's magistrates. We are summoned to the Great Hall for an emergency meeting. I suggest you put some clothes on so we can be on our way." Perceiving that this must be a real emergency if she was invited Ana quickly got up and went to her room to get dressed. As she was changing behind the divider in her room a thought crossed her mind. The White City! I pray it is not fallen. Finishing putting on the red flowing gown lent to her by the palace she ran to the door and flung it open to find Legolas there.  
  
"May I escort you my lady?" he asked, holding out his arm.  
  
"You may" Ana replied, placing her arm on his and allowing him to lead the way. I would not have been able to find the place on my own anyway.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ A/N: Wow...I know this chapter kind of sucks but I am trying really hard to get this done. It has been brought to my attention that I rush things and I will try to fix that in the future. I hope you enjoyed this one and I will try to update soon...if you didn't please don't kill me...remember this is my first fanfic, so give me the benefit of the doubt. ( 


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